Greymane
History Greymane Hellstrider never had a place he could truly call home. His father, Kaddok Hellstrider, was a man of the sword and naturally this led him to many a battlefield to push back the darkness that threatened the world. This also led to Greymane traveling along with his father and mother as they moved from battleground to blood filled battleground. His mother found work as a nurse in the medical tents and he spent most of his early childhood falling asleep to the sounds and screams of dying and injured men. By the time Greymane was 5 years old, he had lost that childish innocence of youth after seeing warrior after warrior come into his mother's tent with horrible wounds. Scared by this, Kaddok and Magna, his mother, left the battlegrounds in order to provide a safe haven for their child's development. They eventually settled in Vigil after several months of travel north. Greymane quickly developed into something of a social creature, now that there were children his age he could interact with. He became the leader of a small group of children, calling themselves "The Sentinels", where they went on many an escapade throughout the city. That changed when one day, when, during the winter of his 7th year, Greymane got into an argument with Adrian, a rival of Greymane's who had long vied for control of the Sentinels. After a few choice words had been spoken about Greymane's heritage and vice versa, an all out brawl began in a back alley between the two boys as the Sentinels looked on. During the fight, Greymane threw a punch towards Adrian's gut and felt something inside him snap as he received a hefted rock to the jaw. A wave of pure, unadulterated anger washed over him as everything in his vision went fuzzy and completely out of focus. All seemed to go silent for a moment, before the other children began screaming at the now lifeless body of Adrian, scattering every which way in their panic. Greymane looked at the chaos and horror around him and bolted for the nearest city gate, the arctic fluff wafting down, growing heavier and heavier. Soaked in Adrian's blood and with the snow coming down, Greymane dashed out from the city drawing looks of both concern and confusion from the guards and the townsfolk. He kept on running, eventually collapsing underneath a natural shelter formed by a fallen down oak tree. He sat there shivering from the cold, terrified by the things that had happened to him and the fate that had befallen Adrian, before breaking down and sobbing, the cold freezing his tears the moment they fell to the ground. Eventually there were no more tears to be shed and he fell asleep under a makeshift blanket of dead, frozen leaves. The following morning, his father found him with the help of some bloodhounds. Kaddok forcefully wrenched the frozen child from the cocoon of ice and quickly swaddled him in furs before trudging through the snow and ice back to their home. Once they arrived at their small abode, Kaddok threw the boy by the fire and waited while Magna grabbed her medical gear and swiftly performed first aid on the boy. After several hours, Greymane regained consciousness and seeing his parents waiting patiently for him, broke down in a flood of tears once more. His mother embraced him while Kaddok stood silent and waited for him. Greymane turned to his father after releasing his mother, and received a resounding slap across the face before being embraced fiercely. "Don't ever make your mother and I worried like that again" Hearing his normally quiet father speak like this, Greymane was utterly shocked. Kaddok set the boy down and left for work soon after. Magna took him by the hand, "Its about time you knew about my side of the family Greymane." She sat him down and told him the story of the House of Griffins. "We have the daemon's taint in our blood Greymane, I can teach you to control it, and your father's ancestry will help, but you have to be willing." Greymane looked at his mother, completely agog at the surprise history lesson, and quickly agreed with the death of Adrian hanging low over his head. He quickly enrolled in the Infantry School of the Crusader War College where he learned discipline and how to control his "sinful" urges. Earning his Shield-mark when he turned of age, Greymane came home one day after the ceremonial branding to his mother in tears and a small note on the table from his father detailing that he had been called to war in the Mendevian Crusades. Greymane quietly accepted this news and simply hugged his mother. Several years passed before he heard of his father's return. Kaddok returned sporting many heavy wounds, and evidence of daemonic corruption eating away at his body. When asked what happened, Kaddok simply smiled "Don't forget, no mercy for the monsters that take them away." he said weakly. Greymane was devastated at seeing his father slowly waste away and vowed that the daemons who had taken away his father could only be redeemed by one thing, death. Swearing allegiance to the city, he received his Sword-Mark and joined the Vigilant Infantry 2nd division where he served for several years, surging through the ranks earning the title of Shield-breaker. Responsible for the training of new recruits he quickly found himself on edge and turned to drink in boredom. One night on a drunken bet, Greymane crawled into the den of a Red Reaver, earning the ire of it almost instantly as he intruded on its bonded site. A soft song whispering through the desert wind the only reason why he lived as it distracted the beast long enough for him to escape with only missing his right arm and marks of honor all across his chest, bleeding horrifically. Upon collapsing at the gates, he was taken into the infirmary and after seeing that he had not only lost his arm with the evidences of his oaths to serve the light and defend the walls, he was discharged and deemed as an Oathless. Reeling in pain at being forcefully discharged from the Vigilant military, Greymane received a gift in the middle of the night. A soft, sweet voice filled him with warmth told him that if he wanted to redeem others, they would be willing to grant him power as a tool of her anger. Lured in by the silky sweetness and warmth of the voice, he reluctantly agreed. When he woke that morning, Greymane was filled with a sense of purpose and a drive to visit a small port to the south-east, filling with divine power as he cast aside the gifts from his blood in favor of it. That morning Greymane donned his armor, grabbed supplies, and left for the port after a tearful goodbye with his mother. Along the way, he found that he gained the ability to supplement the combat skills given to him by his father with the divine wrath he had been given to embody. This came especially true when he came across several bandit bands and gave them an option, redeem or face the wrath of his god. After traveling through the snow for several weeks, he arrived at the seaport and found passage on the nearest trip. Making way for the new land of Nibiru and the darkness that needed new light brought. Appearance A cocky smile and daring glare dominates Greymane's face above his black well-kept beard and below his fiery red eyes. Muscular and tall, his body shows the fruits of his former military training and is decorated with the "marks of honor" from the Red Reaver on his upper chest, which he usually hides under his beard. On his arms lies a circle of chains wrapping around his biceps. Usually he can be found wearing a thin shirt with a pair of his trusted boots and the occasional cup over his ruined stump from where the Reaver tore his arm off. Personality Confident and domineering, Greymane lives his life how he wants to, willing to fight anyone who wants to stop him from doing so, within reason. He also does hold himself to the Dawnflower's teachings as well as he can while keeping her request to be a vessel of her anger in mind, making sure to be kind and show mercy when doing so would not put others at horrible risk. Relationships Raförta Wulfsbane-One of the few women to catch his attention, he's taken to calling her his "warrior princess" and similar epithets as a term of endearment. Soon after meeting her, he's found out they have a few things in common regarding end goals and is touched by the fact that she isn't bothered at all by the stump of his arm. Julius-A man who knows what he wants and how to get it. Greymane has found himself on the receiving end of the man's flirtations and found a common goal with his desires surrounding the gods and to do good in the world. Aguilon Batiste-A fellow worshipper of the Dawnflower, he's found himself coming to disagreements with him over the extent that the Dawnflower holds to mercy, but still finds him a kindred spirit. Kaimong-A Qlippoth-spawn Tiefling he put his life on the line to guard while he was being treated on the battlefield. Rather curious about what the man is, he has still yet to talk to him, but it burns away at him somewhat. Aspirations Greymane wishes to find a way to both purge the dark demons that killed his father and relieve himself of the boredom that has plagued him ever since being discharged. Category:Characters